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About two years ago I called Tom Hennessey and talk to him about this concept of using hiking poles to spread the hammock apart like this and he did not see where it would help the hammocker.

Maybe he should talk to Slowhike about that one, then. He seems to have great success with using his trekking poles as spreader bars. But then again, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for others as well.

"If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl

-I did not feel any torque on my waist when I laid on my side or stomach.

-You need a pillow. Not a big deal just something to figure in. I use one anyways.

-I would need somthing underneath my knees or between them on my back or side. Again, I use one anyways in a hammock and in a bed.

-I need a long model. When you are figuring the length, remember when sleeping on your stomach that your feet will add a few mintues of length. Probibly on the order of 6" to 1'.

-I would made the head end high enough to be able to sit up in it and use it as a back rest without having my head in the netting.

Not too sure what you mean here - do you mean you would close off the head end with fabric in some manner and then sit with your legs out in front of you and your back against the added fabric?

Originally Posted by hammock engineer

-I would use hiking poles as spreader bars. I slept in the backyard in my hammock last night and was thinking about it. I would rig something up where one side would attach to the handle side and the other to the end of the first section in the hiking pole. This would put all of the force on a continous metal section and not on 2 or more sections.

-I would use spectra to go into the rings then straps to the trees just like my normal hammock. This would also save some weight.

Do you mean using the spectra along the ends of the hammock where the Australian one uses rope? Unless you stitched the spectra all along the edge as the Australian one did it wouldn't work. Also, you would need a twisted rope to hold the stitching in twists of the rope. Braided or rope with a braided cover wouldn't work. Really narrow webbing, probably polyester webbing for the strength would work. The webbing could be sewn in the hem easier than rope and sewn to the fabric at the same time. Wouldn't want to use any webbing wider than 1/2" though. The webbing would pucker along the curve if too wide and distort the curve.

Originally Posted by hammock engineer

-I think 1.9 untreated would work just fine and save weight over the material they use.

-I would make mine a little wider. When I laid on my side my knees would hit the sides. This width is kind of determined by the length of the spreader bar.

When you tried the JRB version, did it seem wide enough for a pad?

Originally Posted by hammock engineer

In the end I like the design. I am planning on making one when I get back this winter. I want to make it also since I think it would work on the ground really easily. I would use an inflatable pad, probibly a DAM as bottom insulation in the air and padding on the ground. I think it would be the perfect hammock for the times when you do not know if you can hang or not, but still need bug protection.

Maybe he should talk to Slowhike about that one, then. He seems to have great success with using his trekking poles as spreader bars. But then again, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for others as well.

the trekking pole/spreader bar that i use doesn't have as much force on it as i think the JRB bars do. and if they make them wider, they will no doubt have even more force on them.
to get a better idea of what my trekking pole does, lay in a top entry hammock, reach up w/ both hands & spread the top edges of the hammock out.
it doesn't take a lot to open it up.
when you do, your shoulders make a little less contact w/ the hammock walls & you have a better view of the world around you. ...tim